Put on your Easter bonnet - and a parka

Due to the quirky schedule involved in publishing a weekly newspaper, I’m writing this on Friday and you’re reading it, probably, on Wednesday, so hopefully it’s not so cold as you read this as it is while I write it. But looking at the forecast, I’m not optimistic.

I’d like to have a few words with that groundhog. One of those words might be “liar.”

On page 14, you can read Doug Oleson’s story about the havoc this cold, late spring is playing with high school sports. Apparently baseball and soccer players are tired of running laps and would like to actually, you know, play a game.

Yes, I know that last year, we had a hot, early spring (which I thoroughly enjoyed) that led into a devastatingly hot, dry summer. I kept my kids – at least the baby – inside most of last summer because it was too hot to do anything outdoors. So no, I don’t want to do that again. But at the moment, that same baby is pounding on the windows, begging to go outside, and I’m still keeping him inside because now it’s too cold.

I’m difficult to please. Perhaps northern Illinois is not the ideal climate for me.

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Cold or not, it is Easter this weekend, and I’ve never seen chilly weather stop kids on an egg hunt – though it might slow down little girls shivering in their short-sleeved Easter dresses.

I admit I’ve never been brave enough to take my kids to one of the large-scale egg hunts at a local park. I’m a little daunted by the sheer volume of children quivering in anticipation of competing for candy. But if you are braver than me, there are several hunts from which to choose, not including the many churches that hold egg hunts for the children in their congregations.

If finding brightly-colored eggs is too easy for your kids, the Sycamore Park District even offers an egg hunt in the dark. You can read about it on page XX.

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When we ran a short story last week about Genoa-Kingston senior Laura Kohler and her MidWeek newspaper dress, I figured, in newspeak, it “had legs.” It’s the kind of fun, quirky story that travels quickly in the Internet era.

But holy cow. As of this writing, the photo posted to our Facebook page had been shared 51 times and seen by more than 6,700 people – definitely a MidWeek record. I even received another photo – from another Laura, interestingly enough – of a fairy costume also made out of paper.

If anyone else has pictures of some unique and creative items made out of old paper, I’d love to see them and share them. Send them to readit@midweeknews.com. This week is spring break for many schools and we are living in the Pinterest era, after all – I’m sure a few readers are up to the challenge.

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Happy Easter if you celebrate it, and to all my readers, stay warm and enjoy your MidWeek.